two uteri, two mamas pregnant, AGAIN, with baby number two

effing hostile cervical mucas! April 5, 2007

It sounds like a joke, but my friends, it is not. Clomid causes 30% of women to have Hostile Cervical Mucus. This means the mucus is too thick or there are not enough gaps for the sperm to swim through. I imagine (I think reasonably rather than pessimistically) that if the Clomid completely stripped S’s whole body of moisture, and created not a drop of EWCM, it would probably also make it hostile.

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I had a whole post ready, with optimism and questions about when she should take the progesterone Hoo-Ha’s I just got from the pharmacy. But now I’m wondering if we should bother with the Hoo-Has at all.

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S might ovulate today, or tonight, which is great timing…or tomorrow which is OK timing, just in terms of timing. But in order for sperm to survive a long time (or even make it to the uterus at all) they must be in fertile cervical mucus. The cervix acts like a time release vitamin, keeping sperm alive and slowly releasing them into the uterus. I don’t see how this is possible with scant (and I don’t mean watery, I mean nothing) or hostile cervical fluid with only Pre-Seed to help.

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At this point in the process I have no way of separating my pesimism from the what might be the grim reality that this cycle maybe can’t work. We most likely need to do an IUI to bypass the cervical fluid issue (which we hoped would not be an issue for S). For next cycle I have had no luck finding a doctor willing to perform one without a myriad of obstacles that we can’t (there are proximity and other concerns that are totally out of our control) or don’t feel comfortable (requiring a ton of tests) subjecting Rocket Man to. I’m having trouble finding an IUI solution, even if we all LIE, which already feels shitty. BTW I have contacted OBs, midwives, and clinics. But I’ll keep trying. I’m nothing if not persistent.

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I still feel good that S’s ovaries responded well to 50mg Clomid, and I feel good that her lining is fine. There is some hope that eventually it will work. I’m just exhausted. Ya know?

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Maybe I am preemptively loosing faith in this cycle. Maybe. It is possible. I am a bit of a psycho. But I have a feeling my concerns are medically valid. What a depressing way to begin our 9th TTW!

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5 Responses to “effing hostile cervical mucas!”

I am sorry you are already feeling down about this cycle. I can understand your doubts. Totally. But if S. O’d that close to the time you insemmed (as close as I think she did), it might be fine.

Since you’re already talking about next cycle (I’m not giving up on this one yet though), there are some things that you could do to help get around the hostile mucus thing next time around. I believe doctors can prescribe extra estrogen to help keep things moist in there. Also you could switch to Femara, as someone else already suggested. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep looking for a place to do IUIs–I know how persistent you are and I know you will. I’m just mentioning some other possible options, since you guys would ideally like to do regular insems in addition to an IUI anyway, I believe.

But enough of that. Let us know if you want advice about hoo-has. And I am sorry that S. had to be in the unlucky 30%.

It may not be hostile- just dry. & you so helped with that by using the pre-seed. Look, I am all about protective pessimism – but honey, it is WAY too early for that so cut it out.
I’d start the prog. rockets the night after the last insem. So if yesterday was your last insem day I would do them tonight. Panty liners will be her friend.
sending lots of “this beter fucking WORK” vibes your way.
xo

I think the timing was excellent and the pre-seed probably got around any major issues. I don’t think you can assume sperm hostility from dryness, as mentioned. It’s all just too reliant on luck for you to assume that from one try. I would keep working on the IUI stuff. Given your location, there simply MUST be someone who will do this. Did you try Berkeley? Surely some lovely foothill hippy midwife has a catheter available…. (No flames – I am from the Bay Area, dammit, and allowed to say such things – heh). Hang in there, hon.